Broken Wings
by JadOo
Summary: With Krad bothering him even more than before, Satoshi is determined to protect the others from himself even if it means hurting them. Ultimately SatRisa. Chapter 4: Risa is haunted by the strange encounters. Satoshi realises the need to withdraw.
1. The Taunting From Within

**Broken Wings  
**_Chapter I: The Taunting from Within_

  
Disclaimer: DNAngel belongs to the one-and-only, super genius, fantastic Yukiru Sugisaki-sama.  
  
  


Wai~ I've never written a DNAngel fic before, so I thought I'd try. This is a pending Sat/Risa fic (although we might be able to change that in the course of time). Like I said, I'm only trying. Forgive me if it isn't to your liking. .

  
  
  
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_I just wanted to show you...  
  
How dangerous I am. How I threatened the safety of people. How wrong my existence was...  
  
  
I just wanted to let you see what dwelled inside of me...  
  
So that you would withdraw. So that you would run from me. So that I would never be able to touch you, and I would hate you for an eternity.  
  
  
I just wanted to know..._

_What it was like to be rejected. What it was like to be scorned. What it would be like to hate._

_But you foiled my plans. You ruined everything! You destroyed my chance to be the hated one I was meant to be, that I was determined to be, even._

_And then you showed me everything I thought I didn't want to know or comprehend._

_You showed me what it was like... to love._

**********************

He stumbled, knocking over the row of tables as he did so.

The pain in his chest was just too overbearing, as though it were about to rip him apart and tear him to shreds there and then. No matter how much he clutched at his throbbing heart, he could not kill the razor-sharp jabs that attacked it so violently.

"No...I won't..." The battle was so agonizing. He thought he could faint. He thought he might give up. But he couldn't. He wouldn't. He had come this far to prevent such an event from happening, and he was determined to win this war - the war that raged within himself.

"Hn." Someone was laughing at him. A quiet, mocking laughter that irked him and poked at his sense of pride. "Satoshi-sama, why do you resist?" 

It was a stupid question, and an irritating one no less. He had answered it millions of times before, and he would answer it again, in the same fashion, with the same words. "I am not you!"

The amused giggle yet again. "Perhaps, Satoshi-sama, that may be so. But the undeniable truth is that I am you. I am what you are, right down to your very bare essence. Why should you struggle? Can a man refute himself? Can you refuse your true nature?"

He had fallen over physically, but it felt like he had done so mentally. The new bruise on his back could not equal that of his mind. Krad's statement seemed to throw a newer, more powerful attack at him. He was worn out. He was tired.

But he could not give up! Everything that departed from the lips of his alter-ego was lies. Nothing but fallacies and false-truths!

"I AM NOT YOU!"

K.O. Game over.

Krad had retreated, but not before smirking with those I-know-everything-you-don't eyes. Satoshi had won, and Krad had lost. However, his body was not as strong as his mind.

"Hi...Hiwatari-kun...!!!"

And Satoshi found himself sinking into deep, inky blackness - the sweet bliss of sleep.

*)(*

"MOU!! Sensei is deliberately picking on me again! Did you see that? Out of all the pupils in our class who can't even slice a tomato, he singled me out. Just me! What has become of fairness!?"

"Risa, Sensei's just tying to help. Besides, you really have to learn how to slice foods, not slam the knife down at whatever huge chunk of vegetable is left."

"You're not helping!" They laughed at her haughty remarks and fiery attitude. They always did. Risa flung her hair back defiantly. Hmph! And to think she termed them as "friends". 

"Ne, Risa, it's only for an hour. And Hiwatari-kun will be there too."

"Un, un. He missed the last lesson so Sensei's ordering him to make-up for that lesson."

"Waii~~ Risa, you get to be with the one-and-only, Kakkoi Satoshi-sama!"

Aggravating. "I've told you before; I don't like guys with glasses!" The way they teased was utterly loathsome, although Risa could not help but admit that it was rather flattering to have them speak so. "Anyway, I would rather have Dark-san with me..."

"Hehe Risa, you're such a dreamer! Dark is a legendary thief, he wouldn't cut vegetables with you." Their peals of laughter flooded the room, and Risa fumed even more.

What did they know about Dark anyway? They had never met him up close and personal. They had never seen him in the flesh, much less touch him and understand that he was completely human. And, they had never kissed him before, nor had he kissed any one of them. The more Risa thought about it, the more she trembled with anger - partly because her girlfriends were mocking her, partly because it had been a while since the almighty chivalrous Dark had appeared before her.

She left them in the classroom to joke amongst themselves like the immature, unsophisticated people they were. Harada Risa would not stand in the presence of a people who doubted her words, especially when they pertained to a particular well-known celebrity stealer. Stealer of artifacts. Stealer of art. Stealer of the hearts of women. Stealer of her very own heart.

She remembered, as vividly as the moment it had happened, the first kiss that Dark had bestowed upon her. They were on a bridge. He had asked if she liked him. She answered yes, for there was no other answer. He had kissed her then, right on the mouth. But he had never responded to her confession. He did not reply her words of apparent love.

Risa hung her head a little. Everything was a whirl. It started with Niwa, and then Dark, and then Niwa preferring her sister to her - the event which led her through a torrent of jealous and selfish emotions - and there was her hunt for Dark and the time he saved her. Or so, she had thought upon awakening on the beach. Hiwatari had affirmed that it was none of his doing, but he also hinted that it was not Dark who had saved her.

Then there were the strong arms that had prevented her fall off the building. It was probably the same two limbs that had carried her to a nearby bench, covered her with a shirt and left just one clue behind: a single white feather. Had it been a black feather, it would be easier to trace the source. That one white feather had been completely out of the blue.

Risa groaned. She hated these games of whodunnit.

"I AM NOT YOU!"

She turned sharply as a crashing sound followed. The noise came from the classroom. Niwa's classroom.

By the time she had reached the entrance, a silence had transcended upon the classroom. From the open door where she stood, she could see a clattered mass of tables and chairs. It looked as though someone had been fighting. Logic told her to go and find a teacher to report this incident to, but her instinct made her stay. She could sense a presence.

Holding her breath slightly, she took a step in, searching for the mysterious unknown that had triggered her senses. Her eyes opened with wide recognition as they swept upon a figure sprawled across the floor. "Hi…Hiwatari-kun…!!!"

Her immediate reaction was to try and shake him awake, but that was to no avail. 'Wrong, wrong…" She searched frantically for a way to make the situation better. Hastily, the table that had trapped him was erected upright. She pulled him towards her such that he was in an open space, and turned him over onto his back. She had no idea what to do then.

'Think! Think!' There had to be something she could do. Hiwatari fainting like that was already terrifying as it was. If he had a heart attack or something, and she didn't revive him soon, he would surely die. 'Dammit. How did CPR work again…ARGH! Where's Riku when you need her!?'

She tried lifting him. The sick bay was only a distance away, and if she hurried she could probably make it. But it was no use. She stumbled the moment she tried supporting him. His deadweight was too heavy against her. Risa replaced the boy on the floor. It was impossible for her carry him anywhere by herself.

So she did the only thing she could.

"SOMEBODY HELP!!!"

*)(*

When his eyes next opened, he was in a different place. Ignoring the lassitude that was slowly ebbing away, he tried to register the surroundings. A fan hung overheard, making small but audible whirring noises. There was a screen to his left, wide-open windows on his right, and a soft bed underneath him.

Oh, he thought, it was just the sick bay.

He sat up, subconsciously searching for his glasses with his hands. When he could not find them, he leaned against the wall, resigned.

Krad had been bothering him more frequently than before. It was no longer in his quiet solitude that Krad came. He had felt the distinct pangs in the middle of lessons. The same pain, the same voice accosted him on his way home and assailed him even in sleep. The bastard was everywhere!

There was a tinge of pink in the sky. Evening was forthcoming, and he had to leave, with or without his spectacles. He cursed silently; even a slight blur in his vision would be inviting to Krad who enjoyed visiting at his weakest moments.

"Hiwatari-kun, you're awake!" 

The face of Niwa Daisuke came from behind the screen. As always, there was a cheerful smile on the boy's face. Satoshi responded to his remark with a dull nod of his head. Daisuke grinned. "I was hoping that you would gain consciousness soon. It was getting late and the sick bay would have to be locked. Well, not that I wouldn't be unable to unlock it," Daisuke mused happily as he stepped into the confined space. He had been a little less secretive, now that he was sure Satoshi already knew about Dark.

"Were you the one who brought me here?"

Daisuke turned to look at him. "Iie," he shook his head, and then paused for a thoughtful moment. "Yes, actually. But I wasn't the one who found you." He stepped back a little, and adjusted the screen such that Satoshi was allowed full view of the entire room. "Riku had sensed something wrong – it's a twin thing, I think – and so we went off to find Harada-san; she was with you."

"Harada Risa?"

Daisuke nodded. "Harada-san had been shouting for help, so we located her easily. I've never seen her so frightened before," he added to himself.

Satoshi digested the facts slowly. He was, after all, not accustomed to generating any brain activity after waking up. "Where is she now?"

"She's gone home with Riku." Daisuke then handed him something. It was his spectacles. From the look of it, the frame had snapped during his struggle with Krad. There was a layer of sticky tape where damage had been done. "She was trying to fix them when we brought you in."

Satoshi unfolded his glasses and wore them. They tethered rather precariously on the bridge of his nose. 

"Mataku! It's already so late!" Daisuke was already at the exit of the sick bay. "Gomen, Hiwatari-kun! I'm going home."

He watched as the redhead left the room, until the boy had reached the school-gates. Then he was alone, again. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, standing to leave as well. Either Daisuke or one of the twins had considerately placed his schoolbag on the neighbouring bed. Satoshi did not bother to check whether all his things were in there; it did not matter to him.

He gazed at the clock. It was half-past five. Dark would appear at seven – and that would be the time when Krad most wanted to be released. He considered not going to prevent Dark. After all, no matter how many times he tried, Dark seemed to emerge victor by the end of each assignment. 

But the artworks… they belonged to his family. They belonged to his mother.

His facial expression remained unchanged at the thought where his heart had wrenched. Without a second to delay, he retrieved his cellphone from the bag and dialled. 

"…Saehara-san, please be there by six…"

*)(*

He could see through the eyes of his shell. His vision was not perfectly clear, but it was enough for him to figure out what was going on. He smiled, laughing silently to himself.

The life of his young master was so interesting. Never before had the two nemeses been so close to each other - and friends even! So close yet so far… He could feel it, the strange connection that he had with his other-half.

"Dark… Dark… I will soon annihilate you. You and the boy you dwell within, regardless of his importance to my young master…" He laughed a cruel, mirthless laughter of quiet amusement as he saw the Niwa-boy leave. A faint image of that girl came to Satoshi's mind, and he saw it too. Again he smiled. "You and the boy and the little girl…"

After all, Satoshi was his to own. His and his alone.

And Krad would not let anyone take any part of him.

************************

Chapter completed: 3 December 2003  
©Copyrighted by JadOo Enterprises 2003


	2. Enter the Hikari Treasure

**Broken Wings**  
_Chapter II: Enter the Hikari Treasure_

Disclaimer: Yukiru Sugisaki owns all the bishies in DNAngel, as well as the story, and all the other irrelevant characters.

Gomen ne, minna-san. Got lost on the road of life. Well, this has been hanging for a while, and I apologise. I hope to make it up to you as the story progresses. Arigatou for the reviews.

* * *

_Look at me. What do you see?_

_A friend, a foe? To be loved or hated?_

_Can you see me?_

_Can you see him?_

___We are one._

___

* * *

_

Slice. "Mou, I can't believe this!"

It was Thursday.

Splatter. "Thursday! Of all the days in the week, he just had to choose Thursday!"

In the afternoon, to be exact.

Squish. "And after school too! And to think that I had plans…"

They were in the kitchen.

Smash. "Who on earth needs to know how to cook nicely anyways? It's all just food isn't it?"

Just him and Harada Risa, with the occasional visits of their teacher and much teasing thrown in from the hallway by her friends.

Silence. "Aren't I right, Hiwatari-kun?"

Knowing all too well that it was impolite not to answer a question, and also that not to respond was to court death, Satoshi gave a curt nod. He could not, however, ignore the temptation to remove a glob of Risa's tomato from his face. The girl had been mercilessly hacking away at her food for the past fifteen minutes, sending various particles of vegetable flying in his direction while voicing her discontentment. Where Harada Risa's fingers were adept with needle and thread, they were hopeless with a kitchen knife. Satoshi was amazed that she had not yet hurt herself.

**  
**He adjusted his glasses and returned to his own array of perfectly sliced lettuce and tomatoes. Hiwatari Satoshi was, after all, known to be good at many things.

"Oya, Hiwatari, you seem to be doing an excellent job!" He paused momentarily to find their teacher grinning at him. "Harada, you should take a few – more than just a few – pointers from him. You've completely wasted the vegetables!"

Risa glared.

"Iya, sensei. They can still be used in stew. No one notices the shape of the ingredients."

Risa glowered. "It's not as if I'm not trying."

Their teacher completely ignored Risa. "I guess we have no choice then," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Hiwatari, try to mess yours up as well. I'll inform the teachers of the change in menu." And they were left in peace once again.

"I hope you know that was mean." He could not miss the undertone of acerbity as the monotony of knives against chopping boards resumed its place.

Satoshi nodded. He had only intended to find an alternative solution to the problem, but his tact had lapsed for a moment. Not that he particularly cared, but if he was to remain in the same quarters as Harada Risa for the next hour or so, Satoshi would rather appease the girl than aggravate her further. She had a reputation of being feisty and defensive. Beyond that, Satoshi knew little of her. Sure, they had had two or three misadventures together - each resulting in her rescue by his hands save one interference of Niwa Daisuke - but that was all to their relationship. Acquaintances made over one legendary phantom thief, no doubt.

Dark.

Satoshi grimaced. Once again, the kleptomaniac had gotten away with his family treasures. The Hikari treasures.

He wasn't sure, exactly, of how much he cared for those pieces of artwork. They were as destructive as the next, and caused nothing but sorrow. Satoshi himself was not quite clear on the source of Dark's interest. But a family treasure was a treasure. And it had hurt his pride just as it had hurt his ancestors' to see how one bloodline could rob the Hikaris of their sweat and blood so easily.

" …tari-kun?"

He looked up, suddenly realising that Risa was talking to him.

"Are you okay? You haven't done anything for a while now," she explained.

Satoshi pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I'm fine."

"Oh, good. I was afraid…" she faltered. "Oh, you got your glasses fixed."

"Mhn," he murmured, still focused on his task.

"Bad eyesight, hm?"

Satoshi looked up from his chopping board to glance at her. Risa had given up some time ago and was now seated on the kitchen dresser. Her legs dangled from the marble top, feet barely touching the ground. She was looking far into the horizon, allowing the setting sun to illuminate her soft features. He shifted a little when Risa tilted her head to gaze at him.

"Not really. It couldn't be more than ten or twenty degrees."

"Eh!?" She nearly toppled over. "But, you… then there's no reason to –"

"It's a personal preference."

Risa was staring at him in disbelief, but he was more interested in trying to destroy his clean-cut veggies. Risa's was a mess in itself, and looked like a promising piece of artwork from a certain angle. It was strange how art need not necessarily be organised. In fact, disarray was art in itself. Yet no matter how he tried to re-enact Risa's earlier demonstration of food demolition, his platter was still considerably impeccable.

"What's the matter?" Her light ochre eyes that matched the auburn hair obscuring them were peering curiously at him. She cocked an eyebrow, grinning somewhat impishly. "You seem to have trouble trying to 'mess up'."

She was teasing him.

Frustrated, Satoshi sought a different way to solve his problem. It seemed to him that Harada Risa was the only one of her calibre to perfectly undo food. "Harada-san," he started, annoyed that she was amused at his ineptitude – or adroitness, rather – and tossed the knife in his hand to point the handle at her. "If you would, please."

It was too bad that Risa had caught the insult, for she promptly hopped off the dresser, sent him a withering look, and marched out the door, leaving helpless Hiwatari Satoshi stranded with a knife blade between his lithe fingers.

**break**

What was it he had cried out that day? Something about not being someone…

_'I AM NOT YOU!'_

Her eyes widened at the recollection of the way he had said it. Anguished, angered, determined, despaired all meshed into one sole desire to break free from someone or something. Risa's brow furrowed. It had shaken her to the core when she saw his prone figure amongst the clutter. There seemed to have been a fight of some sort. But who? And when? She had not seen anyone in the hallway and the classroom had been deserted. The only conclusion to be drawn was that Satoshi himself had knocked over the furniture, which was a strange explanation in itself.

Something about not being someone…

Risa had an inkling of what Satoshi meant. She had spent her entire life with a living, breathing mirror image of herself. The splitting resemblance between Riku and herself was what drove her to create an image so different from that of Riku. Riku was sporty and loved adventure. One scratch or two made no difference to her. She would have died without the weekly adrenaline rush. Risa was girlish and loved everything done indoors. This, of course, did not mean she lacked the inquisitive mind that demanded adventure. She did not mind an experience or two, so long as it left her in tact. In fact, she had been much like Riku when she was much younger, but Risa had dropped the seemingly tomboy image when they had hit junior high. Her tolerance for having been mistaken for Riku had reached its limit, and the quest for individuality had begun.

Something about not being someone…

It could not possibly be about a twin. As far as she knew, he was a single child. His father, perhaps? Parents always had an unbridled desire to raise their children to be exactly like them, although there were many who had stumbled on too many mistakes to want their child to grow up and resemble them. Maybe Satoshi was struggling with his own search for individuality. Yes, that was a valid enough explanation. But it failed to reason out the state of the classroom that day.

Risa let out a groan. Things had been so confusing lately. Her mind was on the verge of deflating from all the pondering she had frequented only recently.

She had been wandering the hallways for a bit since Satoshi had offended her cooking skills, or the lack of it thereof. She wondered for a moment if he was yet done with preparing the teachers' evening snack. The school was holding some small-scale convention, and their Home Economics teacher had generously offered to settle the refreshments with Satoshi and herself in tow. Risa made a contemptuous sound. Trust a teacher to finagle students into doing his bidding.

She had been too immersed in her thoughts to notice that she was right back where she had started – outside the kitchen. She could hear the soft bubbling of stew and knew at once that Satoshi had gone ahead to complete their task without her help. Exactly as she thought he would. Risa could have laughed at the boy's predictability.

At her feet sat two familiar cases. One was her portfolio, and the other was Satoshi's school bag. It was made of dark, dull leather, the kind that was inviting to touch. Much like a carpet trimmed to expose only a millimetre of fur. Risa smiled. She liked the way it seemed to suit him. Rich but far from extravagant. She crouched to take a better look at the bag, hoping that he did not catch her head ducking suddenly. The kitchen had narrow windows that allowed minimal view of the hallway and that made it difficult for the cook to observe what was happening outside his four walls. Yet the same circumstance could prove different for Satoshi – ten degrees off perfect vision or not – because he was observant by nature.

There was something glinting along the side of his bag. A ring of some sort that hung limply from its chain.

Risa examined it as best as she could. The light in the hallway was fading fast, and she could barely see the details of the ring. There was a gem embedded in the band, casting an eerie shade of green on the silver band.

It was pretty. The way it glittered as though it held a thousand different gems within enchanted Risa. She felt drawn by it, and Risa thought she was almost able to enter the stone and explore it from within. She reached out to touch the gem. It was so beautiful, so fascinating. She felt a tad bit light-headed…

"There you are – Harada-san!"

Satoshi leapt towards her on instinct, grabbing her by the waist and then crashing into a door. The wooden structure juddered violently on impact, but remained firmly in its frame. Of this Satoshi was thankful. He winced as he tried to sit up. Nothing was broken, although he was sure that a few blood vessels had been ruptured.

Risa was unconscious and this scared him.

The ring…

He sent one frightened glance at the still glimmering object. It looked smug. Just like the one that harboured inside of him. Satoshi seethed as he brought his fingers up to Risa's neck, feeling for her pulse. He sunk back in relief when her strong pulse throbbed against his fingertips.

That was close.

Way too close.

He had panicked the moment he saw the green light bathing Risa's form. For a moment, he feared that he had arrived too late. The ring… Risa was an idiot to have even neared it, much less pick it up with her bare hands. What was she thinking! It was only to her fortune that she had not touched the gem. If not -– Satoshi dreaded the thought.

Satoshi shot a glare at the ring which was now dull, disappointed no less that it had not caught its prey. Curse the infernal object. He should never have heeded his father's words to bring it to school. The man must have known of the ring's power, and conveniently presented it to Satoshi without laying down the necessary information. Fortunately for him, Satoshi had gathered enough research to get some background information on the ring.

Risa's deadweight was effectively cutting of the circulation in his right arm, and so he shifted such that she leaned against him instead. Her head rolled onto the hollow of his shoulder, allowing her soft cheek to rest comfortably against his pectoral. Her hair hung dishevelled - the ribbon that had secured those auburn locks had come loose in response to Satoshi's heroic act – and framed her delicate features. Satoshi exhaled lightly, and lifted his left hand to tuck the errant strands of hair behind her ear. He allowed his fingers to linger a little, and smiled in spite of himself. Long, heavy lashes against the smooth curve of her cheek and the soft breathing noises that escaped her as she slept… it refreshed his memories of her. Risa unconscious on the beach after having been near-drowned. Risa limp in his arms after one fiasco on the museum rooftop, one of which Satoshi had yet to settle the score with Dark.

Did he mention that he was always saving her?

And most of the time she was barely awake.

Satoshi leaned back into the door and rested his head against the firm wood. It was uncharacteristically quiet all of a sudden. Incessant chatter often followed Risa wherever she went. Most of the time, she was the perpetrator of the noise, although her girlfriends were just as capable of making a classroom sound like a marketplace. But now, the silence was so thin that Satoshi would be able to hear a pin drop.

Risa, he decided, was absolutely angelic while asleep.

A small, mocking laughter trailed that thought.

'Absolutely angelic while asleep,' a voice pitched with a falsetto echoed from inside.

'Krad!' Satoshi seethed venomously.

The legendary thief's antithesis remained unperturbed at his master's harsh tone. 'How about it Satoshi-sama, let me complete this angelic atmosphere for you.'

Satoshi would have let out a derisive snort if he wasn't so angry. Angelic!? Far from it!

'Get lost!'

'You hurt me, Satoshi-sama,' Krad mumbled mournfully. 'But have you forgotten that I can do this—?'

A shock of pain shot up Satoshi's spine and he flinched. His back…he could feel it, the searing sensation and the bold protrusions extending from his flesh. He clenched his jaw and fisted his hands. This wasn't the time dammit!

The ring had begun to glow again, gleaming mischievously at Satoshi. Satoshi knotted his brow. The situation was too delicate. He was in school, and a rampant Krad would prove disastrous. What more, Risa was…

Risa.

The girl was still sound asleep, completely undisturbed by the surroundings. And Satoshi's right hand was rising from the floor, going for the neck. It was Krad. The pernicious blond within him was controlling his arm. Satoshi grit his teeth and brought up his hand to restrain the arm. He took the opportunity to propel himself away from Risa. Nevermind that her head would collide with the wall and jolt her awake. He needed to get as far away from her as possible.

He bounded out the hallway and headed for a secluded place, where he could battle it out with Krad.

And Risa would be safe.

**break**

Brigadier General Hiwatari smiled as he stepped into the shadowy recesses of his office.

It had been a most interesting day, filled with surprising discoveries, none of which he was particularly displeased with.

So the Lucile had finally reacted - to a girl no less.

He laced his fingers as he descended comfortably into his chair, and rested his elbows on the smooth surface of the maple wood table. It had been a wise decision to stop by Satoshi's school today, he gathered, especially since he got to witness the activation of the Lucile. He let out a long, drawn breath as he recalled the physical attributes of the girl; it was of utmost importance that he etched her face into his memory.

After all, she was the key to one Hikari treasure.

* * *

Author's notes:

Okay, the plot is kinda skewing out of my control and completely deviating from the initial plot I had in mind. I know very little happened in this chapter…I hope I haven't left anyone confused. Two things I know are probably causing major question marks.

a) The Lucile --- don't worry about this little gem. Rest assured everything about it will be explained in later chapters.

b) SatRisa --- their relationship is a strange sort, I know. I haven't quite got it figured out yet. I'm basing most of it on the manga itself…well, the first 7 or 8 books at least. So I don't have to develop their relationship from square one. It's nothing romantic as of yet. As for Risa's line about 'rich but not extravagant', let's just assume she knows he's fairly rich. I know; selfish author requests.

c) Brigadier General Hiwatari --- I have absolutely no idea what Satoshi's father's name is, nor do I know the position he holds. If you do happen to know, please send some information my way.

d) Also, if you could pardon the use of 'kleptomaniac' – it's suppose to have a medical basis, but I meant it to poke fun at Dark in Satoshi's odd sense of humour. Gomen.

e) The little titbits at the start are more often than not random inspirations of angst. I'm trying to make them Satoshi-esque (term borrowed from **Sage of Angst** if you don't mind).

f) Kindly pardon the distasteful story breaks. I know they are unsightly, but I am unable to do anything about them for the present moment. Fellow authors should understand my state of despair; it's cramping our style.

g) I discovered the dictionary and one amazing thesaurus in the midst of my writing, so some of my vocabulary might not be used very accurately. If you do happen to notice an odd use of terms, kindly tell me, so I can correct the error and be eternally grateful. Oh, and do point out the spelling errors too. There's a high possibility of typographical errors since I don't have a beta-reader and errors tend to slip past the writer's eyes.

Chapter completed: 25 November 2004  
©Copyrighted by JadOo Enterprises 2004


	3. Dialogue

**Broken Wings**_  
Chapter III: Dialogue  
_  
Disclaimer: DNAngel is the brainchild of Yukiru Sugisaki-san, not mine to own.

* * *

_At first I thought it was an ignorable claim – how he was truly me and I, him._

_But now I see that he is what I will become._

_And truthfully, I'm scared.

* * *

_

The pain.

Coursing through his nerves like fire throughout his body.

The pain.

'Why can't you leave me alone!'

'It's not safe to leave you alone, Satoshi-sama.'

The pain _and_ the mocking voice – Satoshi could not discern which was more evident as he turned the corner into an empty classroom, tensing the muscles in the back as the first of all feathers shot out from his flesh, pulling the massive wings behind it into the open air. He inhaled sharply, not wanting to make known the feel of searing agony as life flooded into the wings for the first time that day.

For the umpteenth time he wondered what he had done to inherit such a curse as he gripped a table for support.

'You tire me, Satoshi-sama,' Krad's voice, smooth and silky, sounded out to him. Satoshi grit his teeth, wishing badly that Krad was at least physical so that he could inflict some damage on the blasted blond once and for all.

'I am NOT you.'

It was his only defence against the insistent blond, and it was with an unrelenting will that he held on to. Every time he closed his eyes, even for the shortest of moments, he would see a mirror that framed the familiar face of Krad; another antic of the blond, no doubt, to brainwash him into succumbing to his desire. Satoshi fought to keep his eyes open, blinking only for there was the necessity, and catching a glimpse of the golden pair of eyes that stared at him so constantly.

"Won't you even look at me?'

Now that his wings were in full glory, the pain had ebbed into a dull sensation that rippled when they moved.

'I don't even want to see you.'

A sharp pain shot through his arm. 'Don't provoke me to hurt you, Satoshi-sama.'

Bravely; 'I'm not afraid of you either.'

Two more, this time in the legs. 'That's not it, Satoshi-sama.'

Weakened, he crumbled as his legs gave way. The only thing that lent him support when he had finally fallen was the whitewashed wall of the classroom. Caught between his full weight and the hard backing of the wall, his wings protested with intense agony. Satoshi rolled onto his shoulder and closed his eyes. Before him stood a fairly satisfied Krad, thrusting his golden tail over his shoulder. "There. That's not so difficult now, is it Satoshi-sama?"

Satoshi deigned not to say anything in response, inhaling and exhaling in short breaths, as though trying to relieve himself of the recent torture treatment. He clenched his fists tight. Was Daisuke subject to such treatment as well? He had met Dark on a fair number of occasions, and from there on came to conclude that Dark was not half as sadistic as this blond brute whose fate was intertwined with his. This nonsense about DNA was just not fair to his side of the conflict. For years this one Krad had plagued the Hikari; the Niwa had it so much easier.

And it seemed to him that Dark was getting the better end of the deal.

"It seems you are beginning to understand me, Satoshi-sama."

…was the blond privy to his thoughts as well?

"Come now, Satoshi-sama, must our conversations always be so one-sided?" Krad stepped toward him, stretching out both arms in a genial manner. Satoshi could not ignore the faint mockery in his tone – the one that reminded him that Krad's patience was truly a façade. His polite, conciliatory speech pattern was really a means by which he got what he wanted.

Satoshi stared him hard in the eye. "You know I've nothing to say to you."

"I know you have many questions," Krad persisted. "What's all this about Hikari and Niwa? Why is it that you must inherit such a 'curse'? What kind of bleak future does this mean for you – surely you must have these questions plaguing you constantly."

The boy remained in stony silence, not responding at all because he knew of it to be true himself.

Of course, anyone with his experience would have such questions.

"Why must you live such an absurd life, Satoshi-sama, chasing after Dark time and time and time again, pursuing him with great effort yet never quite catching the legendary thief? Is there not a better solution to this?"

He stared hard into the emptiness as Krad paced back and forth in front of him, placing each query carefully before him. He watched uninterestedly as the blond continued to gloss over the inquiries that he was sure the boy had with regards to his heritage and the wretched war between the Hikari and the Niwa, postulating on all possible answers to the questions he had until Krad finally came to a halt, pausing just in front of him.

"I have a question for you then, Satoshi-sama," Krad had bent nearer to him, catching the boy levelly in the eye. "Why don't you let me finish all of this for you? Let me destroy Dark."

After having muted himself for so long, Satoshi's answer came as a jolt, though not surprising, to the legendary antithesis of the legendary Dark. "Never."

Krad stepped back in mock indignation, pressing his hand to his chest in a seemingly sincere manner. "But I only wish to help you, Satoshi-sama," he protested.

"You only want your freedom."

Stunned by the harsh tone of his master's retort, Krad fell silent. It was clear to him that Satoshi was well-aware of his intentions, and that the boy had absolutely no trust in him to speak of. It was difficult, with the boy in this unrelenting position, to get exactly what he wanted, exactly what he had been striving for since the day he was first released. He thought about how he had passed a generation deprived of autonomy and began to chuckle softly.

Satoshi turned to look at the blond who now had a twinge of amusement lighting his features.

"Don't you?"

Satoshi narrowed his eyes. "Don't I what?"

"Don't you want your freedom too?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"Don't you?" Krad was chuckling yet again. "As long as Dark is around, I will be around. So long as I'm around, you will never be left alone. Never left alone, you will continue to isolate yourself from others…and certainly, you don't want that now, do you Satoshi-sama?"

"I don't –"

"Why do you keep helping him?" Krad's question brought forth an image of Niwa Daisuke.

"What –"

"Why do you keep saving her?" This time, it was Risa that appeared.

Whatever Satoshi had been about to say was caught in his mouth, and he grimly clamped it shut. Krad, on the other hand, seemed immensely satisfied with the reaction elicited from his master. Surely now, he had struck a nerve. He smiled.

The young Hiwatari Satoshi had had enough of this conversation and where it was going. As he opened his eyes to the physical world and took in the sight of the now cluttered classroom, he could tell that Krad sensed his command to leave. And as his pure white wings receded back into his flesh, he could hear the blond speaking.

"That's not fair, Satoshi-sama; it didn't even hurt when your wings spread for her."

ooooooo

Risa puffed her cheeks in indignation.

One hour.

It had been one hour and her supposed 'partner' in this mission to feed the crowd had abandoned her to serve the stew, wait upon their guests and clean up thereafter. One hour! She gritted her teeth angrily as all pre-conceived impressions of Hiwatari Satoshi being a man of punctuality and overwhelming responsibility crumbled to dust.

So what if she had stalked off after being insulted and so what if he had boiled the stew to perfection? Little things like this didn't warrant him to ditch her before the tedious work began and leave her at the mercy of a whole pile of dirty dishes and causing her fingers to prune, badly. And this was not even including the tacky apron that she was to wear at all times while within the kitchen's four walls.

As she wiped away an errant clump of suds that had flown to her face, Risa wondered briefly where the boy had gone to. The last thing Risa could remember was Satoshi dutifully brewing the stew, which she had been successful at avoiding until the boy conveniently left the scene altogether. She remembered a soft green glow and the feeling of being entranced for a moment. A jolt had awakened her senses, not to mention also plastering a bad bruise on her forehead.

Mounting her hands on her hips, she made her way to the door of the kitchen. She couldn't be bothered to wait up for the boy any longer, not when she had completed everything that was on their agenda. Risa began conjuring vicious scenarios for the blue-haired boy to be in, imagining what could have possibly sent him missing for over an hour now. The closer she got to the door, the nastier the situations formed in her mind. For all the-

'_Come…'_

Risa whipped around. What was that?

She saw nobody in the kitchen apart from herself, but certain that she had heard a sound, Risa quickened her pace. She didn't like the memory of the eerie, ghostly speech that had slurred out from thin air and a repeat was highly undesired. As her hand reached for the doorknob, she heard it one more time.

Feeling the dread rise up her throat, she grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, pulling open the door with a desperate effort. The moment she was safely outside the kitchen, she slammed the door shut behind her, breathing in and out, trying to calm herself down.

'There's no such thing as ghosts…there's no such thing as ghosts…'

'_…sacred…'_

Risa's eyes widened.

The voice seemed much louder now. She turned cautiously to her left where her bag was, intent on grabbing it, when she noticed for the first time an eerie glow. It came from the side of Satoshi's bag.

'_…come…'_

She stared at Satoshi's bag with apprehension.

She, Harada Risa, was slowly going mad, and hearing Satoshi's bag - an inanimate object - speak was evidence.

Hesitantly, she reached for the bag. Perhaps there was something in the bag itself that made the noise. The last she heard, leather was incapable of making sounds voluntarily.

Risa's fingertips had barely brushed against the side of the soft leather when it picked itself of the ground.

"Don't touch it."

The urge to scream from the supernatural shock was immediately quelled by the familiar tone of Hiwatari Satoshi's voice. Risa looked up, mentally berating herself for even thinking it possible that bags could move willfully, much less speak. Satoshi must have thought her actions queer.

As her eyes focused properly on the boy, Risa gasped.

The whole back of Satoshi shirt had been torn into rags, exposing a fair amount of skin. She could just make out two gaping, irregular tears that ran down either sides of his back and faint traces of black markings against the white of their school uniform. Risa knew it wasn't polite to stare, but she couldn't help herself and wonder exactly what had happened in the past hour when he had gone missing.

Quickly, her previous resentment of him abandoning her faded away, replaced by a curious concern. Risa was not sure what to say. "Are you okay" was a question with an obvious answer; she seriously doubted he could say yes truthfully. "What happened" was a bad choice too.

Caught with nothing to say, Risa presented the only other issue at hand. "We should be getting home."

Satoshi merely responded with a dull nod.

As she bent over to pick up her own portfolio, Risa noticed a long white feather.

When she looked up, Satoshi had already left.

ooooooo

He tried flexing the fingers a little, and found even this simple action a strenuous feat.

He hated this. He hated being trapped in this obstinate master's body. He resented the fact that he was destined for such bondage for generations and generations to come, and he had despised experiences from the past. He loathed the thought of never being able to control his own body, denied of final freedom from this hellish cage.

Inhaling sharply, he muttered an expletive.

"Is that you, Krad?"

From the corner of his eye, Krad could see the shadows intermingling with the hall lights. Among the shades of darkness, one solid shadow stood distinct, moving closer to where he lay and becoming less and less elongated as the footsteps which companied it grew louder. It didn't take the legendary antithesis of Dark any guesses to deduce who this visitor might be.

"If it isn't Commissioner Hiwatari," he said, feeling the strain on his voice as he did so.

"You seem to be having a difficult time, Krad." Even with the measly amount of light that shot in from the hallway, Krad could just make out the indulgent smile of the man's face. It didn't take a genius to know that the Commissioner was not extremely fond of him.

Krad met that smile with one of his own.

"You too, Commissioner."

Not to Krad's surprise, the Commissioner let that statement pass, waving it off coolly as he walked away from the bed. Krad laid, unmoving, following the Commissioner's movements only with his eyes.

"I have some good news for you Krad," the man began, pacing the floor with soundless footfalls just as he was accustomed to doing whenever he ran interrogations. Cautiously, contemplating. Even without seeing the expression – or lack of it thereof – on the man's face, Krad knew that this Hiwatari was being careful with the information he was handling. "Your key to freedom seems to have been discovered earlier than I thought it would be."

Krad let out a soundless snort. "Hurry up with it, old man."

"Not quite as old as you," the Commissioner retorted. "You do know that I don't just offer you information without expecting something in return."

"If this is about the Lucile, Commissioner, then I don't need your information."

"Oh," there was hardly any surprise in the man's voice. "Well then, Krad, even if you do possess the knowledge of the situation, I'd say you can't do it without help."

"Is that a challenge, Commissioner?"

"Not quite, Krad."

"Then you are offering your assistance, Commissioner?"

"Certainly."

The blond smiled thoughtfully. He couldn't say he didn't like this man Hiwatari, although he was highly aware that he was keen only on manipulation. But perhaps, he thought, if he had only known the Commissioner hundreds of years ago he would have found the man a very valuable existence.

"All right, Commissioner," he said, croaking just a little. He could not hold out much longer, it seemed. Krad hissed his discontentment and lifted a heavy hand. "After all, I'm a cooperative person."

"Indubitably, Krad." The man took his hand in a firm grip. "You'll find it very agreeable for us both."

* * *

Aghh, I know I took a super long time with just this chapter, but I haven't had much time to indulge in writing :X. Anyways…like I said earlier, the plot is skewing out of control and I'm trying to get it back on track. I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing in any way. But if it is, rest assured that many things will come to light later.  
Coupla notes:

a) Krad's power: Okay, I'm not sure exactly how much power he has over Satoshi…but apparently (from what Satoshi tells Daisuke in more recent chapters), the more Satoshi gives in to Krad (like spreading of wings and powers and other non-Satoshi stuff) the more control Krad has over him. :X This is essential in the story. Uhh, and about Krad – I hope he's coming off fine.

b) "…when your wings spread for her": This is referring to the time on the museum when Satoshi knocked Risa out. O.o I had always been under the impression that Risa was fainting from the height and Satoshi saved her. Kinda shocked but I guess it's just as well that he knocked her out and brought her to safety all the same.

c) About Satoshi's shirt: I know that in the anime, his shirt's got two neat little wing holes (not even existent in the manga…) but that appeals to me as very unrealistic. For wings as massive as those, his whole shirt should be hanging off just his shoulders and about the front. However, we need a little decency here.

d) About the black markings: I recall seeing one pic of the back of Satoshi and his wings and a set of jagged black markings (okay, so I was reading a black-on-white manga) running down the column of his spine. So, I just thought I might as well throw it in.

e) Risa's still being weird and I'm trying to figure out what to do with her. AUGH.

f) Due to **trapt-t**'s point to note, Satoshi's dad shall be henceforth recognized as 'Commissioner Hiwatari'. Thanks.

g) Once again, feel free to point out all the typos and grammar and weird word usages. It really makes a world of a difference to me.

Thanks a lot for all those reviews and the inspiration (especially **Knight Basilisk**'s SatRisa fanart).

Chapter completed: 15 May 2005  
©Copyrighted by JadOo Enterprises 2005


	4. Restless

**Broken Wings**  
_Chapter IV: Restless_

Disclaimer: DNAngel is the brainchild of Yukiru Sugisaki-san, not mine to own.

* * *

_Why do you look at her? _

_What do you see in her?_

_More importantly -_

_What does she see in you?_

* * *

_'Come...'_

It was that eerie glow of green again.

_'...sacred...'_

She swiped at it frantically, hoping somehow that it would all dissipate and leave her alone. But no matter how much she flailed her arms, the colour remained, tainting her surroundings. She opened her mouth, and found no voice. The overpowering, ubiquitous emerald light hung about her, heavy.

And she could not resist it.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Friday. 

Satoshi looked across from his desk to where Risa was seated, hunched over her table as she scribbled down answers periodically, pressing her pencil to her forehead at other times as though trying to squeeze out the appropriate answer. Satoshi himself had already completed the test ten minutes into their math period and had perused through his own paper at least twice.

_"Time and time and time again…"_

He looked at her, examining her features – the fine-tipped nose that suited her so well, the curvature of her cheek, the intense, bright eyes that bore straight into one's own, the wisps of auburn hair that framed her heart-shaped face so delicately even when she was angry. He had examined them before on the premise of needing a female specimen to assist his cause in capturing Dark. Ironically, the same female who had helped him was the one who had impeded on his mission. Both he and she had plunged into the depths of his trap.

And to say that was the only time his involvement with Dark had brought her harm would hardly be truthful.

_"Why do you keep saving her?"_

It wasn't Krad who spoke anymore; just the empty echo of his voice reverberating in his mind. Their conversation had long since ended.

He looked away from Risa, focusing now on Daisuke, who likewise was struggling with his math paper. Satoshi was aware that the Niwa had troubles of his own when it came to math, and it struck him that both Daisuke and Risa were very alike in this aspect. He recalled briefly of the time when Daisuke was head over heels in love with Risa.  
_  
"Why do you keep helping him?"_

It had struck him strange then…but Satoshi wasn't sure if he could say the same now.

Daisuke was in many ways a friend to him, even after the discovery that Satoshi was in fact part of the police force and very much out to seal Dark for eternity. Daisuke knew the implications of being so near to what would seem the enemy, yet he not only chose to take this risk, he also offered friendship to his enemy. Satoshi could hardly begin to understand this, yet was struck by the boy's sincerity; he found himself defenceless to this notion of friendship and began to agree with it even.

_"Certainly, you don't want that now…"_

Satoshi gripped the edge of his paper as he thought about what having them as companions meant.

It meant that they were in danger of Krad as well – and this Satoshi had known from even before he stepped into this school. He had been highly aware of his status as a Hikari and he knew the only procedure to follow. The only way he could prevent them from suffering a similar fate as his mother. And that was why he proved to be a quiet, hostile boy for the greater part of his life.

_"…do you Satoshi-sama?"_

There was only one thing he could do.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Two white feathers. 

White, and not black.

Risa let out a long, drawn-out exhalation as she closed her notebook on those two pure white feathers she had picked up not too long ago.

Hiwatari Satoshi had been avoiding her ever since that incident. She had meant to inquire of him about the feathers and, if he would open up a little, the state in which he had returned to the kitchen. Somehow, she found he had grown to be more withdrawn and perhaps even a little hostile.

White.

The intrigue simply would not leave her alone. These feathers did not belong to Dark - or did they? Risa was dubious as to their relation to Dark, and if she was correct in her conclusion to the matter, then there had to be someone similar to Dark. Similar enough to own white wings, and perhaps even to a greater degree.

This someone would help her find the way to the mystery behind Dark. And this someone was related to Satoshi in some way, she was sure of it.

"Risa, whatever is the matter with you today?" Riku's impatient tone snapped her right out of her thoughts.

"Nothing." Risa put the notebook aside, idly picking up a piece of clothing carelessly flung on her bed. A frilly blue top, she noted curiously. Riku certainly was paying a little more heed to femininity.

"Well?"

"I think you should stop browsing through my closet for clothes."

"You're no help!"

If dates with the aforementioned boy were going to make her sister agitated and overwrought each time, Harada Risa swore she was going to break them up for her own sanity's sake. She sighed resignedly and picked herself off the bed. "It's just dinner at his house, Riku."

"You wouldn't say the same if you were going out with Dark." Riku loaded the last syllable with such contempt, reminding the girl of how much her twin abhorred the thief. Risa cringed a little at the acerbity in her tone. "The least you could do is help me out a little."

Riku strode over and sat on the bed. "I want to look...presentable. You understand that, right?"

Risa nodded. "Yes...I'm sorry Riku," she bit out guiltily. "I'm just tired, I suppose."

"Tired? Have you been sleeping well?"

Risa made a non-committal sound as she sifted through her wardrobe, choosing some apparel. Autumn colours suited Riku best, as her expert choice in garment was right, and so she picked out a few tops. Risa took her time, focusing on all the reds, browns and yellows, thinking only of drowning out that soft green glow that inundated most of her dreams.

"Risa?"

"I'm fine, Riku. Just need to sleep earlier, I guess." She held out the clothing, trying to picture Riku in them. Yellow was a little too bright for dinner. Same with orange. Riku's hair blended into the red - scarlet, actually - which was not approved by Risa's sense of fashion.

"Bad dreams?" Riku persisted.

Risa let out another long exhalation as she drew the blouse she had been holding up away from her sister. "A little," she conceded, walking past various articles of clothing strewn across her bedroom floor to join Riku on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." She shivered involuntarily at the nature of her dreams. The ghostly voice that came in that eerie whisper, as though it floated with the wind, haunted her even now.

"You could always sleep in my bed."

How like an older sister, Risa thought as she leaned over to give her twin a tight tug. "Thanks Riku," she released the older girl to glance fondly at her. "Here," Risa said, holding up a brown top, "this should fit you perfectly. Be sure to dress warmly; it'll be cold tonight."

"What? Are _you_ mothering me now?" Riku laughed as she took the cotton turtleneck from her sister. "You really are growing up quite a bit, Risa."

That statement earned her a pillow by the offended twin. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Riku emitted another giggle as her sister pouted unhappily. Whatever explanation which she had in mind for Risa did not surface, for at that moment their mother called for the older twin.

"Just a minute," Riku assured her as she exited the younger girl's room.

Left alone, the listless girl found herself picking up after her sister for once. There were many things running through her head even as she hung her clothes back in her cupboard. Risa knew she had recently stumbled across something. A secret. Behind that was a radically different Hiwatari Satoshi, she believed. Perhaps that was why he now avoided her.

But all that dodging only served to spur her interest.

There was something hidden that needed to be revealed, not just to sate her curiosity but also for the boy himself. Risa hardly relished the remembrance of the state in which he had returned, clothing torn and voice with a new edge - steeled and controlled, cold even. What was he hiding? And what sort of secret was it?

The fact that it was remotely related to the legendary thief made her all the more unrelenting to give up.

Yet the white feathers were not all to Satoshi's mystery. The ring. The green aura. The voice.

She could now recall her first encounter with the dazzling beauty of the gem, so captivating that she felt herself succumb wholly, completely to it. It certainly felt as though Risa was somehow connected to it. It wasn't just the mystery behind Satoshi, but it was one of her own as well.

Risa buried her face into a pillow. All this was just too garbled and confusing, convoluting her thoughts in a big mess with no start nor end.

"Risa?" Riku's voice snapped her back to reality. "Thanks, but I don't think I'll be needing this anymore."

The younger twin's eyes widened in surprise as she took the brown material. "Eh?"

"Niwa-kun called to say there was a family matter he had forgotten about. We called the dinner off." The disappointed edge in Riku's tone went without miss.

"But that's not fair, Riku!" Risa protested. "Niwa-kun should apologise."

"He did. Profusely," the redhead said.

"Well, is he going to make up for it?" If there was one thing Risa wanted to be assured on, it was that Niwa Daisuke would give her sister that happiness which all men professed to offer.

Riku gave her a wry smile. "Yes he did."

Risa snorted. "Well, I still think Niwa-kun should have chosen you over his family matter."

"You'll give your boyfriend such a difficult time," the older twin sighed. "Speaking of which, aren't you going out tonight?"

"Is there a reason for me to?"

This was strange. When it came to the legendary thief, Riku thought that Risa would have information first-hand, as compared to herself who did not care in the least for him. "Dark is scheduled to steal another artwork from the museum tonight."

At the name of the thief, Risa's ears were perked. "Dark-san? Tonight? How did you know?"

"It's on the news."

Dark, Risa thought. The one person she wanted to see at the moment for many reasons. Elation ran throughout her being as she began tearing a selection of clothes out of her closet.

"What time is it now, Riku?" she asked eagerly as she held out one outfit after another. "What time is he expected?"

"You have about thirty minutes to get there...but Risa, it's raining outside." Riku was promptly ignored as the younger girl shooed her out of the room in excitement.

With a speed that would put Clark Kent to shame, Risa dressed. After a long while of absence, her heart had indeed grown fonder for the phantom thief. And what with all the new encounters and revelations she had, Risa felt the need to meet her winged beloved even more so. There were questions hanging heavily on her mind, and if anyone had the answers it would be none other than the legend himself.

Risa was just out of the door, heart racing at the thought of finally seeing Dark again, when a sharp pain struck her clean out of consciousness. She felt herself trip over and fall. She might have cried out instinctively, or she might have remained silent - Risa could not tell. The only thing she could hear was that same voice, a little louder this time, calling out.

_"COME."_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"What? Are you still mourning over the loss of your date?" 

"Mom could have told me earlier if she needed you."

Dark chuckled. "Sorry kid, but last-minute jobs are part of the life of a phantom thief."

He heard Daisuke groan again as he crawled through a thicket, loathing the mud that clung to him. Personally, Dark would have gone for style with Wiz, but Emiko's orders kept him to the ground until he found the secret entry route to where the artwork lay. "Riku will be so mad."

"Shush boy," Dark said, rather annoyed by this point of time. "I wanted to see her too."

Dinner dates called for the appropriate attire, the phantom thief mused to himself and he wondered exactly what Riku would have worn. A stunningly gorgeous dress which would make her look astoundingly ravishing? Or maybe the girl would choose something a little more modern and chic like a tube-top with a teensy skirt that -

"DA-ARK!"

Dark laughed out loud.

"Riku's not the sort!" Daisuke said rather indignantly, which make the legend snicker some more.

"Of course she wouldn't," he concurred, coming to a clearing near the museum. Daisuke had a point; Riku simply was not the kind to dress up in such an... interesting manner. "No girl in the right mind would at the thought of visiting her in-laws. What on earth were you thinking, boy?"

Daisuke started defensively. "Mom wanted to meet her."

Dark gave a derisive snort. "Mommy's boy."

"Right back at you, Dark," he heard the young boy say. "You do her bidding more than anyone."

"We share similar interests, Daisuke. I'd be more than willing to steal her artwork, and it _is_ my occupation after all." A smooth comeback, the thief thought rather gleefully as the teenager now within him fell silent. He pitied the boy just a little. In his opinion, Daisuke needed a few more debating skills and learn how to win arguments. It was only to redhead's great benefit that the more understanding of the twins - toward Daisuke at least, because Dark knew of the great loathing Riku held for him, something he still took offense at - was his girlfriend. With Risa, Daisuke would grow into a common, hen-pecked husband - a thought Dark did not relish in.

Besides that, he himself held the girl's affections. Dark smiled at that thought.

"Quiet now, Daisuke, we're going in."

The trick to keeping his reputation going, Dark felt, was to always make a different entry into the scene, much like that of a play. Azumano Museum conveniently allowed him this pleasure; the building was full of secret pathways and corridors - a masterpiece in itself. The thief pondered briefly upon the sorts of complicated traps he believed the Commander had set up for him as he activated another cleverly disguised inlet to the museum.

The entrance led him into an antediluvian hall, lacking most of the modern structures the museum had. This was probably the holding place for newly arrived art pieces. After all, Emiko had mentioned that the masterpiece she wanted was recently delivered to the museum.

Drawing to a halt, the phantom thief took a quick survey of his surroundings, looking out for devices the Commander could have installed. Dark found it strange how there were no lasers - a favourite choice - or for that matter, security cameras. The guys who ran this museum were idiots! The thought of an easy triumph gave him no pleasure, especially coming from one as ingenious as the Hiwatari boy.

Disappointed at the lack of a challenge, the thief stepped forward to retrieve the object of interest. In his chagrin, Dark missed the metal click of a knife and it was all but too late when a wet substance swamped him.

This was ridiculous, Dark thought as he tried shrugging the slimy substance off. What he thought had been failure on part of the police force became an impasse for the thief. Ignoring the trap, he continued his pursuit when a whirring of air presented the blue-haired Commander.

"Sorry for the early intrusion." Satoshi didn't sound the least bit apologetic.

Dark quirked a brow, fairly unimpressed by the tactics employed. "You usually give me a little more time, Commander."

"You usually use the front entrance, Dark." Satoshi was wielding something in his hand, but Dark could tell little from the glimmer of light that reflected off it.

"That's not true!" he retorted, preparing to evade lest the Commander should do anything sudden - in past occasions, Dark had found that to be rather true. "What is this substance anyways?"

The thief ducked to the side as the boy lunged toward him. Leap was probably a better choice to describe Satoshi's movement. "Starch solution," he answered as he angled his leg for a swift kick.

"Starch solution?" How juvenile." Seeing an opening, Dark took a dash toward the treasure. Easy-peasy, he thought. Without all those clever gadgets, the Commander could never best him. "I thought you'd have a little more style."

The phantom thief caught the glinting of metal in front of him, and this time he was able to register the shape of the ring that hung from a chain, oscillating for a brief moment before the Commander's face appeared. Dark felt the whoosh of wind where Satoshi aimed at his abdomen, and doubled back, rolling away from the treasure. "We're going economic."

"I never imagined the police force to be impecunious." Propelling himself upward with the heel his hand, Dark performed two clean back-flips to the entrance. It was no good. The starch solution was affecting his ability for combat, and the feel of slime trickling to the roots of his beautiful hair agitated him. Daisuke would have a hard time cleaning up tonight, he thought. Emiko would be furious.

Back outside, Dark found the inclement weather to be of use as the rain washed away the discomfort from the starch solution. Putting two fingers to his mouth, he sent Wiz a whistle before engaging in battle with the Commander once again. The fact that his accomplice was a little long in the coming did nothing to waver his jauntiness as Dark avoided the boy-genius's assault.

"What is that thing you have there, Commander?" The rain was getting into both their eyes as it came in heavy pellets.

"You mean the ring?" Dark dodged yet another punch from the blue-haired boy, catching his wrist as it whizzed narrowly past his ear. The thief had planned on throwing the Commander effortlessly to the side, but that backfired when Satoshi caught his hand as leverage to deliver a knee into him. On reflex, he thrust a fist to the boy's side, and both of them fell.

Dark smirked as he got up first. "It looks like something good to steal."

"It is not for you to steal," Satoshi replied, brushing away the fringe which clung to his face.

It was difficult for either of them to fight in such a storm, and Dark no longer wished to battle in such gloomy atmosphere. The Commander, however, was more persistent. Within the boy, the thief knew, was someone even more insistent on fighting. The recollection of that fact made Dark even more keen to end this skirmish.

Cold and wet fingers were not ideal for whistling, but Dark tried it anyway.

"Looks like your feathered friend won't be here to help you escape this time, Dark."

By the time the thief had ended his call, Satoshi was no longer there. That silken voice, rich with an accent belonged not to the Commander, but instead to Dark's own antithesis.

As if to challenge that statement, a duplicate of Dark jumped out from the museum, precious bundle in hand. Krad turned in time to witness Wiz somersaulting past his head and successfully evade the ball of energy aimed at him. Dropping the package into the real Dark's hands, Wiz transformed into his true form to lift the thief up into the skies.

"I was beginning to worry about you," the phantom thief chided the creature once they were past the museum's rooftop. He urged Wiz to hurry along as the rain would soon hamper their progress. Krad would be a while in the coming since his wings needed time to sprout, which was a good thing since it meant the avoidance of direct confrontation with him.

If Krad had given chase, he was too slow for Daisuke arrived safely at the Niwa doorstep, sopping wet but still in one piece. The packaging of the art piece was beginning to disintegrate and had it been a painting, their efforts would have been in vain.

"Mom," he called out as he entered the Niwa residence. "Check the weather reports next time!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Dark might have foreseen this, and the thief certainly had been very clever if that was the case, Krad thought as he halted his pursuit of the winged legend. The rain was beating down on him, exhausting his wings which now flapped laboriously, and the redhead boy who harboured his antithesis was safely home. 

In his opinion, the blond didn't think causing public mayhem by intruding into the Niwa residence to battle Dark was an issue. However, his master begged to differ, and so did the Commissioner.

Dismal, Krad changed his course. Once again, he would have to wait till his next opportunity before he could have a satisfying go with Dark and inflict damage on his arch-enemy. According to the Commissioner, the time was coming soon, but his patience was quickly wearing thin with every night that passed.

The rain had stopped by the time Krad perched on the marble balustrade of the Harada balcony. Just beyond the glass panel that stood between him and the sleeping girl, he could see the younger twin tossing and turning in her sleep. A feisty sort of girl, he gathered from his daily observations. How...enjoyable.

Peeking out from the foot of her bed was an open notebook. Two white feathers were arrayed carelessly atop it. Krad smiled.

"Krad, what are you doing?" Satoshi's voice sounded from within.

"Need not sound so demanding, Satoshi-sama," the blond replied, reaching past his waist to pluck a feather from his wings. A gift of sorts. He supposed it was the least he could do for her. "I'm just taking a look."

"A look?" Krad could hear the underlying uncertainty in the boy's response. The heightened sense of caution about this girl which his master had also sickened him fairly.

"Yes, Satoshi-sama." He let the feather fall onto the porch of her balcony.

Krad smiled - a thin, wicked upturn of lips, baring his teeth deviously. Here was his prize-to-be, bathed - in his eyes - in rich emerald green. He could see it already, when the Lucile should come into activation.

Soon, freedom would be his and he would receive final liberation from this curse - something he had not tasted in over a century. The tip of his tongue traced his palate and ran across his teeth. Perhaps this was the sort of thrill his antithesis got from successfully stealing the artworks, a sort of exhiliration that raced right through your veins and Krad found himself wanting to break that glass barrier between them to snatch his reward.

He was like a cat. Krad felt like the feline which now approached its prey, sleeping and unaware, on tipped toes and with restrained ecstasy. And soon, his prey would be caught between vicious claws.

Soon.

"I'm just taking a look, Satoshi-sama," he repeated, assuring the both of them that that was all he would do tonight. "A look at our Sacred Maiden. Yours and -" Krad lifted his gloved fingers to his lips to blow the sleeping girl a kiss "-mine."

_Definitely mine._

_

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_Author's notes:  
FINALLY. I bet that's what's running through your minds as you see this chapter up. It's the same line running through mine as well. Well, after the long wait, the chapter's double the length. There is a little summary for the next chapter up on my author's page, but 'em, note that it may change because the plot is always having a little more added to it than necessary. Right, without further ado, here are a few notes:

a) Risa and the speed which would rival Clark Kent - physically impossible. Clark Kent, for those who aren't aware, is plain-clothes Superman - his true identity, that is to say.

b) The snippet - it's not Satoshi anymore, that's all I'll say. Any guesses?

c) Yes, Risa still loves Dark. Someone mentioned on the SatRisa forum that she believed Risa's feelings for him had always been true...I guess it still is. The difficult thing is bringing Sato-boy into the picture. Hm.

d) SatRisa - No interaction as of yet. The story's summary will come of relevance in the next chapter (loaded with angst!) and there will be lots and lots of Risa-somebody interactions.

e) Krad/Risa? - I hope you're not too alarmed. Uhh...we'll straighten this out later. But Krad/Risa sounds like the most interesting pairing to write so far. Actually, just Krad/anybody would be interesting, but I'm not one for shonen-ai or yaoi. So that leaves Krad/twin, or Krad/Towa, and if he were daring enough, Krad/Emiko :O Mymymymymy.

f) The fight scene - too short, I know. A first, actually. The Dark-Satoshi banter was easy enough to think up, but the fighting bit was a bit :X There should be a longer, more exciting, action-packed scene very much later in the story.

g) Body-sharing - I'm trying to figure this bit out. So uhm, I figured Dark and Daisuke are pretty open towards each other. So Daisuke would have caught those indecent thoughts about Riku. Krad and Satoshi, on the other hand, are more hostile toward one another, though they may probe from time to time to try and figure out what the other person is thinking.

h) Alas, there may be some spellos and grammos here and there. Feel free to notify me and pick this chapter apart. Thanks for all the reviews, especially to Malina Ran (I don't happen to know your ID, have you one?), and everyone else who's been reading my one-shots. Gotta love you guys, to the max!

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Chapter completed: 8 November 2005  
©Copyrighted by JadOo Enterprises 2005 


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